As a nurse in the USAF
Reserves, I was fortunate enough to be asked to go to Mozambique with a small
contingent of medical personnel to offer clinics in three small villages this
summer. Actually, our small medical group accompanied a very large deployment of
marines, but that just added interest to our journey. We saw several thousand
people and although we were far from equipped to be able to handle many of their
problems, we were at least able to show many individuals that someone did care
about them. Unfortunately, three weeks was obviously not long enough to solve
any but the most elementary problems, such as glasses to help with vision or
teeth pulling to help with pain or infection.
The impression I left
Mozambique with was one of "likeness," as in, people in the States and the
people of Mozambique are pretty much the same, as are people everywhere. We all
have the same hopes and desires. We worry about education and wellness. We love
our families and friends. And most of all, we want to live happily and in peace.
The
people of Mozambique have been through a lot of pain due to war, but they are a
strong, resilient and beautiful people. May God bless them, and may we, as human
beings, find ways to bring this nation and their people up to the standards of
living that we are so blessed to have.
